When Wu Xiaoxu returned to the interrogation room, he was completely listless.
But when he saw Brother Xuan leisurely eating fried dough sticks and soy milk, he was clearly stunned for a moment.
"This is yours."
Lu Xuan pointed to the breakfast set out on the adjacent table and reminded him,
"Go ahead and eat. It'll get cold... We can talk about whatever's on your mind after you've finished."
After a pause, he pointed to the middle-aged inspector leaning against the door.
"He's the one who prepared the breakfast."
Wu Xiaoxu nodded blankly, a thought drifting through his mind. 'The Inspectorate... they actually have people like this?'
Then, he sat down woodenly in the chair, and after being handcuffed, began to eat his breakfast, just as woodenly.
But as he ate, Wu Xiaoxu burst into tears again.
"Brother... Brother Xuan!"
he sobbed.
"We're the ones who dragged you into this, we dragged you into this... That man just now, he said they won't let you or me go until they catch my dad!"
Lu Xuan comforted him softly,
"It's okay, don't cry. You're a grown man now... Uncle Wu doesn't seem to be charged with any specific crime. It doesn't make sense for the Inspectorate to do this. Don't worry."
Nearby, the middle-aged inspector who had been quietly watching everything lit a cigarette and couldn't help but let out a gloomy sigh.
"You kids... you're still too young..."
Lu Xuan turned his head, put down the half-eaten dough stick in his hand, and spoke very seriously.
"I haven't asked for your name."
"Me? My name is Chen Tianhua." The middle-aged inspector took a deep drag from his cigarette and said calmly, "Kid, you say the Inspectorate is being unreasonable in this matter, but did you know that, to a certain extent, the Inspectorate *is* reason?"
After a pause, he continued, speaking to himself as much as to them,
"Laws and regulations have always been used to restrain the weak. The Inspectorate is weaker than Sakata Heavy Industries, who gave the order, so the Inspectorate must obey. Wu Datong is weaker than the Inspectorate, so he is guilty."
"That is wrong." Lu Xuan said, enunciating each word. "Reason and rules should be impartial."
Chen Tianhua nodded lightly.
"You're not wrong, but that's only in the most ideal, most perfect of situations... When I first joined the Inspectorate, I actually thought the same way you do. Back then, I was eager to serve the public and do good, wanting to serve my country and its people. Then I discovered I was wrong."
"You weren't wrong back then."
"No." Chen Tianhua smiled. "When you're different from everyone around you, you're the one who's wrong. And if you refuse to admit you're wrong, the consequences are often tragic."
As he spoke, he took another harsh drag from his cigarette, the cherry burning all the way down to the filter.
"The rules are made by the strong for the weak. Only the weak are required to follow them."
"Is that so..." Lu Xuan tilted his head, murmuring calmly to himself. "No, that's not right. The rules should exist in everyone's heart first, only later being committed to paper. But some people, relying on their own strength, insist on breaking those rules and defying the rites."
Chen Tianhua nodded.
"You're not wrong to put it that way."
Nearby, Wu Xiaoxu, who had been wailing earlier, had long since stopped sobbing. He listened to their conversation in a daze, his mind struggling to keep up.
'What in the world are they talking about??'
At that moment, Lu Xuan swallowed the rest of his dough stick in one bite before speaking.
"So, what's needed is for someone even stronger than the strong to step forward, uphold justice, maintain order, and make everyone under heaven abide by the rites and follow the rules."
"Unfortunately, no one like that—someone even stronger—exists."
"Perhaps not right now." Lu Xuan suddenly broke into a brilliant smile. "Then let it be me. I will become that stronger one. I will safeguard the world's justice and the rules of the land. When I wield my sword, the rites will not be corrupted, the music will not collapse, human ethics will remain, and the Celestial Dao will proceed as normal."
Both Chen Tianhua and Wu Xiaoxu were stunned.
After a long moment, the former began to laugh—laughing until tears streamed down his face, an expression of immense sorrow spreading across it.
"I used to think that way too..."
He closed his eyes. After a long while, he spoke again.
"Kid, you should first worry about whether you can even get out of here... The hope is already slim. And don't even think about a jailbreak or anything. The weakest inspectors in the combat division are Skin Tempering Martial Artists, and the director is a Three-organ Grandmaster."
"I won't. Because that would be against the rules," Lu Xuan said with a calm expression. "Only when the rites have collapsed, the music has fallen, and the law no longer exists will I do something that goes against the original rules."
Chen Tianhua stared blankly at Lu Xuan. He had wanted to tease him for being a chunibyo teen, but the words wouldn't come out. A more appropriate word surfaced in his mind.
An innocent.
'In this age where capital is supreme and the strong reign, does someone like this still exist?'
'Didn't they say this kid grew up in a place like the shantytowns?'
Chen Tianhua lit another cigarette, having suddenly made a decision.
He said calmly,
"Kid, did you know? The news said that a batch of ancient texts were unearthed a while back. I can't remember the details, but I remember two lines from them that seem to fit you well."
"What are they?" Lu Xuan asked, curious.
"One is 'I wish for a great shelter to house all the world's poor,' and the other is 'When the Great Dao is practiced, all under heaven will be shared by all'..."
"Alright, I'm going to find the director. You shouldn't be locked up in here."
.......
「Longque Technology, East Sea City Branch.」
"Xiaosang, I heard about your matter, but it's a bit troublesome. It involves Sakata Heavy Industries, so I'm afraid I can't help."
"...I understand. Thank you, Godfather."
"Don't be too upset. By the way, this is a rare opportunity for you to study at headquarters for half a year. You need to work hard..."
"Mm, I know, Godfather. I'm not upset. It's just that an old acquaintance asked for help, and there are still some old feelings there, so I made the call."
"You're just too soft-hearted. It's best if you cut off those old connections. Otherwise, they'll only drag you down in the future!"
"Yes, Godfather... My friends are calling me. I have to go. Goodbye, Godfather."
After hanging up, the general manager of Longque Technology's East Sea branch curled his lip and leisurely lit a cigarette.
His secretary asked curiously, "Sir, should I go negotiate with Sakata Heavy Industries? It shouldn't be too much trouble."
"No need. She's just one little girl, one of my hundred or so adopted sons and daughters. Her talent is decent, but unless she can distinguish herself at headquarters this time, it would be a waste to spend any more energy on her..."
The secretary understood immediately and said no more.
......
「East Sea High School, The Library.」
The girl's glances toward the library entrance grew more and more frequent, her expression growing more and more disappointed.
She had been waiting from last night until this morning, and the more she hoped, the more upset she became.
Yan Jiangxue touched the Fried Flood Dragon Meat in her pocket, lightly bit her lip, and murmured to herself,
'Did he forget?'
'No, he wouldn't.'
'Then... did something happen to him?'
At this thought, Yan Jiangxue's expression turned sharp. She put down her book and, without even bothering to clean up the snacks on her table, hurried toward the entrance.
Her Innate Spiritual Sense had always been sharp. Since a thought like this had suddenly occurred to her, there had to be a reason.
After leaving the library, she made a phone call.
"It's me, Yan Jiangxue."
On the other end of the line, the leisurely director of the Super Ancient Research Institute had a sudden change in expression.
"Young Miss, please give your orders."
He was inwardly shocked. 'Has the sun risen in the west? The Young Miss actually called me on her own initiative!!'
'This... this... this...'
At this moment, Yan Jiangxue said softly,
"Why didn't Lu Xuan come?"
The director began to cough. "What Lu Xuan? The one from the ancient bamboo slips? Young Miss, I..."
After thinking for a moment, he gave up on lying and said with a bitter smile,
"They all say you're naive and innocent, but really, you probably understand things better than anyone... Please don't take it the wrong way. For your safety, we have to thoroughly investigate everyone you come into contact with."
"So, why didn't he come?"
"That, I truly don't know. Give me five minutes. I'll have the branch office staff investigate immediately."
"As soon as possible."
"Yes, Young Miss."